There was a lonely sloth and fighting komodo dragons when David Attenborough returned to BBC1 with Planet Earth II last night, but it was a group of killer snakes the biggest impression on viewers.
Wildlife fans watched happily as newly hatched marine iguanas in the Galapagos Islands set off to join adults at the edge of the sea – only for a gang of racer snakes to emerge from caves and crevices.
"These snakes are fast, and hungry, and they want baby iguana for breakfast," says Sam Wollaston at The Guardian.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
One iguana managed to outrun the snakes, but another newborn was not so lucky.
"What kind of a life is that, and what's the point?" asks Wollaston. "Birth, a few seconds of blind terror being chased by snakes (how do they know to run?), caught, crushed, pushed headfirst into a scaly mouth. And that's it, game – life – over. It's terrifying, I'm going to have nightmares."
Ellie Harrison at the Radio Times describes it as the "most intense chase scene of all time".
She writes: "Hell, those snakes could climb. And the sheer number of them. There were so many. It was a relentless, apocalyptic nightmare."
It wasn't just critics who were terrified. Viewers took to Twitter in their droves to react to the chase.
According to Christopher Stevens at the Daily Mail, the crew were "too shocked to film" when they saw the snakes for the first time.
"Sir David had never seen anything like it either," he adds. "And that's the highest possible praise."
-
How AI chatbots are ending marriagesUnder The Radar When one partner forms an intimate bond with AI it can all end in tears
-
Political cartoons for November 27Cartoons Thursday's political cartoons include giving thanks, speaking American, and more
-
We Did OK, Kid: Anthony Hopkins’ candid memoir is a ‘page-turner’The Week Recommends The 87-year-old recounts his journey from ‘hopeless’ student to Oscar-winning actor
-
Turner: The Secret Sketchbooks – a fascinating portrait of the great painterThe Week Recommends BBC2 documentary examines the rarely seen sketchbooks of the enigmatic artist
-
Dianarama examines the ‘extraordinary scale’ of Martin Bashir’s liesThe Week Recommends Andy Webb’s book is packed with ‘astonishing’ allegations surrounding Princess Diana’s 1995 Panorama interview
-
Eurovision faces its Waterloo over Israel boycottsTalking Point Five major broadcasters have threatened to pull out of next year’s contest over Israel’s participation
-
Unforgivable: harrowing drama about abuse and rehabilitationThe Week Recommends 'Catastrophic impact' of abuse is explored in 'thought-provoking' series
-
How to go on your own Race Across the WorldThe Week Recommends The BBC hit show is inspiring fans to choose low-budget adventures
-
The top period dramas to stream nowThe Week Recommends Heaving bosoms and billowing shirts are standard fare in these historical TV classics
-
David Attenborough at 99: a 'radical' voice for climate actionIn The Spotlight In his new film 'Ocean', TV's best-known naturalist delivers his strongest message yet
-
Stephen Graham's best TV and film rolesThe Week Recommends From Line of Duty to Adolescence, these are the prolific actor's must-watch projects
